There is no "official" standalone E3 1996 ROM available for download from Nintendo. However, the community has kept the interest alive through two primary means:
A reconstruction of the April 1996 B-Roll build using source code (decompilation). Project Basic 1996 Wiki Jan96 Prototype super mario 64 e3 1996 rom
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Preservationists argue that the E3 1996 build represents the "missing link" between 2D design philosophy (linear obstacle courses) and 3D freedom (the open sandbox). The debug tools inside that build would reveal how Miyamoto and his team balanced the game in real-time. This link or copies made by others cannot be deleted
An older version (dated roughly late April 1996) loaded into kiosks to ensure stability. It retained several "beta" elements like the older, flatter HUD icons for stars and coins.
Boot up the E3 ROM, and the first thing that hits you is not what’s new, but what’s wrong . Mario’s voice clips are different—rougher, more like a test recording. The castle grounds lack the serene, polished sheen of the final game. Trees are simpler. The skybox is slightly off. And then there’s the biggest omission: the castle doors are locked in ways they shouldn’t be. You can’t enter the basement. You can’t fight Bowser in the sky. You can only collect a handful of stars from a curated set of early levels: Bob-omb Battlefield, Whomp’s Fortress, and a few others.
The refers to a critical pre-release version of the game showcased just weeks before its Japanese launch. While a direct "E3 ROM" was not officially released to the public at the time, details about it have resurfaced through historical records and the July 2020 Nintendo "Gigaleak". History and Context